


Of Every Corner and Books

by Anonymous



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, I did Jihoon dirty, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The thing I love the most when watching him was the way his long fingers flipped a page so gracefully and the little tug on his lips when he read something funny.(Mingyu had his eyes on one of the regulars of the cafe where he works at. Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't the only one.)
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62
Collections: Anonymous





	Of Every Corner and Books

My shift was coincidently always at the same time with his patron to the cafe. He would come in the afternoon (the time he would wake up on weekends, now I know) and ordered an iced coffee then sit on his regular seat on the corner where no one would bother him. I always took my time around that corner when I got the chance. He sat cross-legged most of the time, with elbow propped on his knee. His neck would bend slightly when he read. His expression, which usually shows no emotions, would change with the pace of the story (Minghao said I’m the only one who notice any emotion on his face. To Minghao and others, he has this permanent blank face on). The thing I love the most when watching him was the way his long fingers flipped a page so gracefully and the little tug on his lips when he read something funny (again, this happened to be only me who noticed it).

My favourite and my least favourite time of the day was the closing time. My favourite time because it was the time that I could talk to him. My least favourite time because that meant we wouldn’t meet until the next weekend.

Every time, I would gather my courage to disrupt his solemness, feeling all the weight of the world on my shoulder. Every time, he would look up and stared at me with his dark eyes, locking me in his eyes with me fighting the urge to squeeze him in my arms. He would stand up, said that he was sorry for always staying so late, packed up his book and for a few seconds he would stand there, watching me with curious eyes.

That happened for a few weeks until there came a time when I couldn’t go to work due to my entrance exams. I was cramming all weekend. Even so, I still wondered if he visited the cafe and worried about me, which only made me feeling negative since he was only a regular customer of the cafe where I worked, not someone who was even interested in me.

When I was back to work, I asked my co-worker whether he visited last week. They said he visited, but unusually he didn’t stay long. He looked restless and after finishing his coffee, he just went home. I had been excited the whole week for the day I would meet him again. But that weekend, it was his turn not to turn up. I was disappointed and curiously feeling my heart hurt more than it should have hurt. I would never have thought I would fall in love with a stranger. But I do.

I just didn’t realized it sooner. He also didn’t come the week after. And the week after that too. By the time I received my entrance exam result, I had to quit my part time job since it was quite far from my university. I cried when they threw me a farewell party. It was not because I love working there so much (Well, I did love it, but not enough to make me cry). It was more because I regretted that I couldn’t met him anymore. That cafe was the only chance I had to meet him. And I had to quit it. I blamed the alcohol for the tears later on.

I started my new university life with a heavy heart. I still thought of him whenever I saw an interesting book, wondering if he’d read it. Wondering if he’d like it. I, too, would imagine the way he would read the book. The way he held the book spine and carefully opened the first page of the book. The way he tilted his head when he tried to relax his stiff shoulder. The way he would change his crossed legs and fixed his glasses when he sipped his iced coffee.

I kept remembering his lean figures covered in warm sweaters, his long fingers and limbs, his white porcelain skin, his dark hair. I still could see his sharp cheekbone, his dark hypnotizing gaze and thin lips. I couldn’t get him out of my mind.

My best friend, Minghao, kept teasing me for getting hung up on a guy I didn’t know. He invited me to various group dates, but in the end I would compare them with him. That no other guy would be in par with him. Even at my new part time job, I kept looking at every corner, wishing that I would see a familiar guy engrossed with his book.

One day, I just finished my shift and about to go home when I noticed that the store beside the restaurant was still open. It was a book store. My heart clenched when it reminded me of him. I looked at the bright showcase before entering it. The bookstore was small. The books looked old, most probably second-hands.

“Welcome,” a small guy manned the cashier. Dark hairs framed his pale face, he was watching me with sharp gaze. He eyed me curiously before returning to his book. I caught a glimpse of the title (How to commit murder and get away with it?) and tried not run out of the store with my tail between my legs. I skimmed the title of the books in the first row. I was not much a reader, but I knew some of the titles from my literature class. I picked a book and read the first pages. It was indeed second-hand books, but even so, it was still in a good condition. I put the book back and browsed more books. I was lingering in the fiction section when a voice surprised me.

“Can I help you?” the small guy stood uncomfortably close behind me that I couldn’t help but back off. Considering what he just read, I probably should have run away.

“Ah, no, I was just looking for something.” I forcefully smiled and inched back to the bookshelf. It was hilarious how scared I was by a man almost half of my heights. He tilted his head, eyeing me from head to toe. I was carefully sliding away from him, closer to the way out. “Aren’t you cute?” he said, I had probably run away already if it wasn’t for someone who kicked him on his butt.

“That’s why your store can’t get popular,” I felt my heart skip a bit when I heard that familiar voice. I could have been imagining it by how much I had been thinking about him lately, but to my astonishment he was standing there. Still looked as good as the last time I saw him. He wore a black jeans and a navy shirt. A scowl appeared on his handsome face as he looked at the small guy in indifference.

“Wonwoo! When did you return? I thought you’re gone for good!” the small guy gave a fake happy greeting.

“Is that how you greet your only customer?” He kicked the guy again. “I said I was dragged to a holiday, not moving away,” and that was when his eyes fell on me and he froze. I felt a lump on my throat, my arms and legs felt so wobbly that I even surprised myself for managing to stay standing. Wonwoo, I managed to process that word in my brain. His name was Wonwoo.

“So, when did you return? I thought school has started for a week now. How can you not visit me when you’ve returned already,” the small guy turned around and face Wonwoo. When he noticed that Wonwoo didn’t even blink, he turned to me and turned back to Wonwoo when he found me in the same state.

“You guys know each other?” he asked pointing to each of us. Neither of us responded to him. We were still frozen, our eyes locked. “Ah!” The small guy suddenly exclaimed which surprised both of us.

“Is this him?” he said excitedly. At that, Wonwoo lost it. He tried to stop the small guy.

“Jihoon! Stop it!” He tried to grab the man’s arm but the man dodged and moved closer to me, he studied me with gleaming eyes. “Tall, puppy eyes, tan skin. Wow, it fits!” He looked back to Wonwoo who had this murderous glare and trying to grab the man’s collar this time, which, again, he dodged, “I thought it was a girl!”

I looked back and forth between the small guy and Wonwoo. What are they talking about?

“You know, this guy,” the small guy pointed his thumb to Wonwoo, “…has been---ow!” this time Wonwoo managed to land another kick on the small guy and he stumbled to the farther wall. Before I could ask the small guy if he was okay, Wonwoo grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the store.

I was trying to catch up with his long steps, not noticing how far we had walked or how late it had been. All that I could notice was how he had cut his hair, I could see the short hair on his nape, how small his shoulder was, how warm the hand that was holding mine, how my heart felt like it could burst by how bad it was thumping.

When we finally stopped, I stood behind him, feeling him gripped my hand tighter, before he turned my way. He was almost a head shorter than me. We were standing so close, closer than we have ever been. His hand was thin but warm, I felt like I was dreaming. We stood in silence, enjoying the cool night and the presence of each other.

He broke the silence when he murmured, “I can’t believe it’s you,”

My heart skipped a bit (a lot) when I heard the possibilities in his words. Did he look for me when I was gone? He didn’t let go of my hand, which by how much time had passed made me feel so nervous.

“Um, I—,” I could feel my hand getting sweaty.

“Oh, sorry,” He let my hand go, much to my disappointment. I felt the cold air hit the skin that was just a second ago enveloped in his warmth. “You probably didn’t remember me, and I dragged you out here, too.” He hesitated. I looked up to him surprised, he was looking at the park bench, I caught a glimpse of his nervousness. His hand fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

Did he know how much I have longed to meet him? How could he say that I didn’t remember him?

“Wonwoo,” I whispered. He whipped his head so fast that I couldn’t help the smile that creeped up. “Is that your name?”

He nodded. “And yours?” He stared at me with his usual intense gaze. I suddenly felt embarrassed by his attention. I tried so hard not to squirm.

“It’s Mingyu,”

“Hmm, Mingyu,” he repeated. I like the way he said my name.

“I also thought you’re moving away,” I went on. He tilted his head.

“So, you remember me,” he remarked. I blushed.

“Of course. I’m the one who’s surprised that you remember me,”

“Why?” he asked, confused.

“Because you didn’t seem like someone who would notice a waiter,”

“Hn, that’s prejudice,” he grunted, “I know, it’s not like I notice anyone else, you’re the only person in that cafe that left some impression on me,” I felt my heart beat even faster. “I’m curious to why you still remember me, though,” he gave an expectant look. I kind of wanted to hide from embarrassment if I had to admit that I had been watching him the whole time.

“Well, you’re not the type of customer that is easy to forget,” I mumbled.

“Excuse me?” he inched closer. Surprised, I blurted out, “Sorry, I had been watching you every time you visited!” He looked taken aback by my sudden declaration. I cursed under my breath. He didn’t say anything and after a few seconds of silence I finally looked up to find him smiling. Which this time in turn taken me aback. “Why are you smiling?”

“No, it’s just that we were the same then,” he said, “I was also taken by you. The way you smiled to your customer, regardless of what an asshole they were. Or when you hide behind the cashier desk and actually studying for your exams,” My eyes widened.

“You noticed that?” I groaned. “It was my final exam, I planned to take the weekend off, but one of my colleagues was sick and I had to replace him,”

“It was probably just me, I was there for quite some time before actually dinged the bell,” He looked amused, “It was interesting to see you struggle to answer the math question,”

I palmed my face, I was so embarrassed I could die. “You should have dinged the bell without watching me,” I heard him chuckle, and despite my embarrassment, I peeked to see how his eyes lighted up and his lips twisted up showing his white teeth.

Realizing that I was watching him, he stopped and cleared his throat, “So, you’re still in high school?”

“Ah, no, I actually go to university now. I just got accepted to N university,” I pointed to the direction of my university.

“So we’re bound to meet eventually,” he said. I gave him a questioning look. “I go to N university too,” he explained.

“Seriously? Are you my senior? Because I am sure I will recognize you during the entrance ceremony,” I said.

“I’m in my sophomore year now.” He smiled. “Is that why you’re not coming on that weekend? Because of your entrance exams?”

I nodded, “And the weekends after that, it was your turn not showing up,”

“Yeah, I got my final exams coming up and my mother forced me to join the family holiday,” then he said sheepishly, “I actually visited the cafe before I went to holiday. But you weren’t there, and I don’t know your name. I was too shy to ask your colleague for you,”

At that, I felt happiness creeping up my spine, and all the butterflies in my stomach flew uncontrollably. I clutched my stomach, feeling it twisted inside. “I, um, I quit my job there, because it was quite far from the university. I actually wanted to wait for you to show up, but it had been a few weeks, and it wasn’t like I knew you or we were friends or anything,” By the time I finished what I said, realization hit me, and all the fire inside me died out. Yeah, it was not like we were friends or anything.

That fire replaced by some invisible weight on my chest. At that moment, I finally realized I want him more than as a friend. I didn’t want to be only his friend.

“Then, let’s start now,” he looked at me tentatively, “Though, I want to be more than your friend,” he continued as he reached for my fingers. The tingling sensation returned, I feel like I would faint when I heard his words. Seeing that I didn’t pull my hand away, he wrapped his hand on mine and pulled me closer.

“So, Mingyu,” he smiled, “My name is Jeon Wonwoo, majoring in English Literature in N University. I’m in my second year. What about you?”

I smiled back to him despite my racing heart. “My name is Kim Mingyu majoring in Social Studies in N University. I am a first year.”

“So, even though now I know your name, your major and your university, I won’t be able to ask people around for you,” (which is true, because I basically don’t know anyone else at school yet), “Can I have your number?”

I couldn’t help the giggle that came out, “That’s very smooth, sunbaenim.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, “Is that how you asked for girls’ number?”

He already got his phone ready, “Girls asked for my number, it was never me who asked for other’s number,” he said while we exchanged our number, “You’re the first,”

I was eyeing him suspiciously, but he looked so sincere. I was so sure he was a player by how smooth his talk was. But soon I learned that he used many books for reference.

“I am flattered if I am the first,” I said, turning my phone off and sliding it back to my pocket. He was still holding my hand and with a heavy heart, I squeezed it. “It’s late, you should get back,”

“Do you live with your parents?” he asked. I shook my head, “I lived in the dormitory. My parents are living in the country.” I grinned at him. He hummed in response. I watched his eyelashes fell against his pale cheeks, “Should I get you back?”

He laughed, “I’m not a girl, you know. I can get back on my own,” with a smile, he continued, “Thank you for asking, though.”

“That’s too bad. I want to company you,”

“Uh, no. Now, you’re scaring me,” he said jokingly.

We were standing there for a few more seconds, reluctant of letting each other hand go. “I’ll see you around,” I said, giving his hand another squeeze before letting it go.

We both started walking backwards, he smiled at me, “Text me?”

I returned his smile as wide, waving my hand enthusiastically, “I will,”

When we finally turned our back against each other and walked to our own direction, I pulled my phone out.

> To: Wonu <3
> 
> Text me when you get home! -mingyu

As soon as I send the message, a message came in and I can’t help the smile that blooms in my face.

> From: Wonu <3
> 
> I can’t wait for you to text me.
> 
> So, hi, Mingyu, it’s Wonwoo!

A few seconds after that message, another one came in.

> From: Wonu <3
> 
> I guess we’re both impatient ;)

I couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling out of my chest. We were both impatient. I smiled as I typed my reply. Pocketing my phone after I sent the message, I skipped on my steps as I walked back to the dorm. Smile never left my face.


End file.
